Crew abandoned ship at last moment—envoy

Press, 18 February 1986, Page 4

Crew abandoned ship at last moment —envoy

PA Wellington Soviet crew members of the stricken liner Mikhail Lermontov abandoned the vessel at the last moment, giving priority to their passengers, a spokesman for the Soviet Embassy in Wellington said yesterday.

“They left all their belongings behind. All they have is what they stand up in,” the First Secretary, Mr Sergei Buranov, told NZPA. The: Soviet crew of about 330 would be flown back to the Soviet Union in a day or two. They had been accommodated at Wellington hotels, as well at the Police College at Porirua. The hotels’ management had been kind enough to take them in at short notice during the day, but because of prior bookings some of the crew had been shifted to the college for overnight accommodation, Mr Bura-

nov said. The crew were obviously shocked by the emotional and distressing experience, but had found Wellington a lovely city after the ordeal, he said. "They were very grateful for the assistance and help provided by many New Zealand boaties in the area and also the people who met them in Wellington.” Mr Buranov said the Soviet Embassy would cooperate with the New Zealand Government in an inquiry into the incident. However, he said he did not know what involvement Captain Vladislav Vorodber would have in the inquiry. “I understand he does not want to make any public statement because the pending inquiry is to be held in private,” he said.